Capital Southwest (NASDAQ:CSWC) Has Gifted Shareholders With A Fantastic 139% Total Return On Their Investment

The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don't use leverage) is 100% of your money. But if you pick the right business to buy shares in, you can make more than you can lose. Take, for example Capital Southwest Corporation (NASDAQ:CSWC). Its share price is already up an impressive 111% in the last twelve months. It's also good to see the share price up 28% over the last quarter. It is also impressive that the stock is up 38% over three years, adding to the sense that it is a real winner.

Check out our latest analysis for Capital Southwest

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

During the last year Capital Southwest grew its earnings per share, moving from a loss to a profit.

When a company has just transitioned to profitability, earnings per share growth is not always the best way to look at the share price action.

We haven't seen Capital Southwest increase dividend payments yet, so the yield probably hasn't helped drive the share higher. Rather, we'd posit that the revenue increase of 7.5% might be more meaningful. After all, it's not necessarily a bad thing if a business sacrifices profits today in pursuit of profit tomorrow (metaphorically speaking).

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

We know that Capital Southwest has improved its bottom line lately, but what does the future have in store? If you are thinking of buying or selling Capital Southwest stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst profit forecasts.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Capital Southwest the TSR over the last year was 139%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Capital Southwest shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 139% over the last year. That's including the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 22% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Even so, be aware that Capital Southwest is showing 5 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 3 of those can't be ignored...

But note: Capital Southwest may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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